Snow-clearing vehicles are commonly used in areas that accumulate snow on a regular basis to clear snow and ice from roads and walkways. A common form of snow-clearing vehicle is a pickup truck equipped with a hydraulically raisable snow plow mounted to a hitch frame on the front of a truck for pushing and thereby clearing a path in the snow when the truck is driven forward with the plow in the lowered position. Snow plows are typically straight or V-shaped. Alternatively, snow plows are comprised of two halves or blades adjacent to one another, configurable so that the truck operator can configure the plow blades align to form a straight snow plow, or to angle relative to one another to form a V-shaped orientation.
Often, snow plow vehicle operators will use the truck bed to carry a commercial salter, which typically occupies the bulk of the available space in the truck bed. Other equipment, such as hand-operated drop salters and snow blowers, are often also required to remove snow from areas less accessible by snow plow trucks. As there is little room in the truck bed, this equipment is typically transported in a separate vehicle or trailer hitched to the truck, and further, impose difficulty to the snow plow vehicle operator as the weight of the equipment makes loading and unloading the equipment a time-consuming and physically arduous task. Some have attempted to carry snow blowers on snow-plow mountable platforms which are accessible for loading when the plow is lowered. The snow blower is placed on the platform and is kept from coming off of the platform by a ratchet strap placed around and against the rear of the snow blower. In these cases, the platform occupies much of the space around the snow plow making it harder for the truck operator to access equipment mounted on the platform. The size of such platforms also slows down the unloading process as the truck operator must first clear the boundaries of the platform before steering and driving the snow blower in the desired direction. Further, these platforms add significant weight and bulk to the truck, increasing the cost to drive and operate the vehicle as well as the complexity of maneuvering the vehicle plow. Snow blowers mounted on these platforms are also susceptible to damage from bouncing and/or shifting on the platform as the snow plow truck is driven over bumps, around corners, or generally over rough terrain.